Cocoa-Rich Chocolate and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Garcia-Yu, Irene A; Gómez‐Marcos, Manuel A.; Rodríguez‐Sánchez, Emiliano; Tamayo-Morales, Olaya; Maderuelo-Fernandez, José A; Recio-Rodríguez, José I

doi:10.3390/nu12092754

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our present POMS2 results suggest that in middle-aged women, the consumption of flavanol-rich cacao extract reduces negative mood features, such as depression, fatigue, and anxiety, and improves the positive mood features vigor and activity. Gracia-Yu et al reported that an additional daily consumption of 10 g of cocoa-rich chocolate by postmenopausal women could have a slight impact on their perception of the state of their health, although those authors noted that this was without modifications of the women's health-related QoL or the dimensions that compose it [23]. One of our earlier studies demonstrated that in both middle-aged women and middle-aged men, a daily consumption of dark chocolate increased QoL scores [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Flavanol-Rich Cacao Extract on the Profile of Mood State in Healthy Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study

Murakami,

Natsume,

Ito

et al. 2023

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To investigate the effects of flavanol-rich cacao extract on healthy middle-aged women’s fatigue and mood conditions, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in women aged 40–60 years who had reported fatigue and had shown high levels of a serum oxidative stress marker. We randomized the participants (n = 60) into equal groups receiving either a beverage containing cacao flavanols (240 mg/200 mL/day) or a placebo for 8 weeks. Before and after the 8-week treatment, we determined the participants’ Chalder fatigue scale (CFS) scores, various mood states, autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity levels, and their ANS balance. The results demonstrated that among the mood states, the indicators of negative mood (e.g., depression, fatigue, and anger) and the total mood disturbance score were significantly lower in the cacao group compared to the placebo group after the treatment (p < 0.05). The change in the index of positive mood (i.e., vigor) from baseline to 8 weeks was significantly higher in the cacao group versus the placebo group (p < 0.05). There were no significant between-group differences in the changes in the CFS score or ANS activity level. The consumption of flavanol-rich cacao extract both suppressed negative moods and promoted positive moods in healthy middle-aged women. These results suggest that cacao flavanols may be a useful food material that can improve variable mood conditions in middle-aged women and support their active lives.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Flavanol-Rich Cacao Extract on the Profile of Mood State in Healthy Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study

Murakami,

Natsume,

Ito

et al. 2023

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specifically, an improvement was observed in mobility problems and pain/discomfort [ 46 ]. However, another clinical trial states that 10 g of chocolate rich in cocoa (99%) per day in postmenopausal women, for 6 months, could have a slight impact on the perception of their health, although without modifying the health-related quality of life [ 47 ]. There are also some studies that mention a better quality of life in patients when ingesting polyphenols, but without specifically measuring it, but rather as a secondary consequence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a Raisin Supplement on Cognitive Performance, Quality of Life, and Functional Activities in Healthy Older Adults. Randomized Clinical Trial

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of consuming 50 g of raisins on cognitive performance, quality of life, and functional activities in healthy older adults. This is a parallel randomized controlled clinical trial, in which 80 subjects over 70 years of age participated. For 6 months, the intervention group (IG; n = 40) consumed 50 g of raisins per day added to their usual diet, whereas the control group (CG; n = 40) received no supplement. All variables were measured at baseline and at 6 months. Cognitive performance assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) test shows a difference of 3.27 points (95% CI 1.59 to 4.96), p ≤ 0.001, favorable to the IG, after the intervention. Among the cognitive performances, an improvement is observed in the IG in orientation, assessed both with the MOCA test 0.49 (95% CI 0.10 to 0.87), p = 0.014, and with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test, 0.36 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.70), p = 0.038. In visuospatial/executive capacity and in language, improvements were also observed in the IG, 1.36 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.95), p = 0.001, and 0.54 points (95% CI 0.12 to 0.96), p = 0.014, respectively. Immediate and delayed recall, assessed with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, improved in the IG. In addition, the IG showed a better quality of life and greater autonomy in instrumental activities of daily living after 6 months. No significant changes were observed in the rest of the variables analyzed. Therefore, the consumption of 50 g of raisins produces a slight improvement in cognitive performance, quality of life, and functional activities in the elderly.

show abstract

Cocoa-Rich Chocolate and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Menopause has a negative impact on quality of life (QoL). The aim of the present study was to analyse the effect on QoL of adding 10 g per day of chocolate with a high concentration of cocoa (99%) to the habitual diet, for 6 months, in a sample of postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women (n = 140) aged 50–64 years were randomised to either an addition of 10 g per day of cocoa-rich chocolate to their usual diet or no supplement addition. All variables were measured at baseline and after six months of intervention. QoL was evaluated using the 3-level version of EuroQol-5D (EuroQoL-5D-3L), the EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) and the Cervantes scale. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) analyses adjusted for the main determinants of QoL considered in this study showed no changes in the global score of QoL evaluated with the EuroQoL-5D-3L. The intervention group showed an increase of 6.0 points (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.4, 11.7) in the EQ-VAS compared to the control group (p = 0.036). No significant changes were observed between groups in the global score of QoL nor in the dimensions and subdimensions measured with the Cervantes scale. The additional daily contribution of 10 g of cocoa-rich chocolate in postmenopausal women could have a slight impact on their perception toward their health state, although without modifying the health-related QoL or the dimensions that compose it.

show abstract

Cocoa-Rich Chocolate and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Cited by 3 publications

References 45 publications

Effect of Flavanol-Rich Cacao Extract on the Profile of Mood State in Healthy Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study

Effect of Flavanol-Rich Cacao Extract on the Profile of Mood State in Healthy Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study

Effects of a Raisin Supplement on Cognitive Performance, Quality of Life, and Functional Activities in Healthy Older Adults. Randomized Clinical Trial

Cocoa-Rich Chocolate and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About